On the whole, Maine’s grain economy appears robust and growing stronger. “Everything is pretty rosy for my business right now.” “There’s demand for these grains, for sure,” said Sarah Williams Flewelling, a partner in Aurora Mills and Farm in Linneus. The state’s organic grain growers said the growing market for their wheat, oats, rye and other grains has been a blessing. “You say I’m crippled but I’m not crazy/You say you’re able but I know you’re lazy/Being crippled is all in your mind/Keep a strong mind and you’ll be just fine/My mind is still clear, it’s not hazy.Aleks Migic prepares loaves of bread at Maine Grains in Skowhegan.

“Feel No Pain” has lyrics that deal even more directly with what Stanley was going through: “Can You Hear My Eyes?” was about the expressive and emotional power of the eyes, when the ability to speak or touch are gone. He wrote songs with his friend, Maine guitarist Jason McClure, that dealt with his feelings and condition. Sadie died a few years ago, but her ashes were saved so she could be with Stanley again, Sweetser said.īesides hosting musicians at his home, Stanley created music too, despite not being able to move or eat or breathe on his own. Stanley had told family he wanted to be buried with his beloved dog, Sadie, who could often be found lying on Stanley’s bed with him. He said the family knows that many people were touched by Stanley, and there will likely be a celebration of his life at some point. Sweetser said Thursday that funeral arrangements had not yet been made. Stanley, who could still talk a little then, told the Press Herald that even though most of his muscles had failed he could still feel the music inside of him. In 2014, Gutter and Spose played a show at Stanley’s home, with friends and family on hand. And you knew he had a lot of bad days,” Gutter said. “Playing a show for him was really therapeutic for us, because you could tell it clearly made his day.

Because Stanley had been a patient a long time – and had lots of nurses – Gutter ran possible lyrics by Stanley, via text, and the two shared ideas. Gutter sought Stanley’s help on a song he wrote a few years ago called “Bedside Manor,” about a patient who falls in love with his nurse.

About seven years ago, he saw the rapper Matisyahu at Portland’s State Theatre, where he got to meet the performer. He and other musicians once played a show for Stanley while he was staying at Maine Medical Center in Portland.īut even being bedridden didn’t stop Stanley from also venturing outside of Farmington to see shows, with help from his friends. So after that, Gutter began coming to perform at Stanley’s home, sometimes on his own, with Rustic Overtones or with the band Armies. Gutter said he was impressed with how badly Stanley wanted to see live music, despite his condition. Gutter first met Stanley about nine years ago when friends of Stanley’s managed to take him to a Rustic Overtones concert – in a hospital bed – at Titcomb Mountain ski area in Farmington. Ryan Peters, also known as the rapper Spose, talks with Nick Stanley at his home in 2014.

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